Woman Waives Hearing in Child Endangering Case

CLEARFIELD – A 32-year-old Clearfield woman accused of leaving her son to play unattended near the East End playground waived her right to a preliminary hearing during Centralized Court Wednesday at the Clearfield County Jail.

Kimberly Jo Snyder, 32, of Clearfield has been charged with endangering the welfare of children. Her bail has been set at $10,000 unsecured.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, at 11:12 a.m. Aug. 6, a call was made to Clearfield 911 after a small child was observed sitting and playing at the end of Woodland Road and East Eightth Street near the East End playground. She described the boy as wearing plaid shorts with a green-colored shirt and blonde hair.

At 11:20 a.m., Clearfield Borough police located a 9-year-old boy who was sitting along the south curb of Woodland Road across from East 10th Street near the entrance to the East End playground. He was sitting within the boundary of the highway but outside of the white-painted markings.

Police described Woodland Road as a double-laned highway with traffic traveling in both directions at a speed limit of 35 miles per hour. In addition, the highway curves near East Ninth Street.

The boy told police his mother, Snyder, had given him permission to be at the playground. She lives on East Sixth Street; there weren’t any adults at the playground.

Police proceeded to Snyder’s residence, where the front door was open; however, its screen door was closed. Several attempts were made to reach Snyder by knocking at both the front and back doors. Police didn’t get any response.

The boy was taken into protective custody and police contacted Clearfield County Children, Youth and Family Services. The boy said his mother might have gone to the store for cigarettes.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Clearfield Borough Code Enforcement was contacted and responded to the scene. Several code violations were observed outside the residence.

Interior furniture was located on the front porch. The couch had a yellow jackets nest between its pads.

Grass and weeds weren’t in compliance.

Garbage had accumulated around the exterior of the residence.

The boy said his grandmother was sleeping inside the residence. He entered to locate either his grandmother or mother.

Snyder then responded to the door and police detected an odor of alcohol on her breath. She was given a personal breathalyzer and tested positive for alcohol.

She was subsequently interviewed by a CYFS caseworker and admitted to consuming alcohol with a friend until approximately 3 a.m. She also admitted to smoking marijuana.

Snyder and her mother permitted CYFS to inspect the residence. CYFS noted the following observations.

Cobwebs were hanging from the ceilings and walls.

There was poor wiring with the electrical outlets.

There were unwashed dishes and food items in the kitchen.

Baskets and clothing were observed on the steps between the first and second floors.